Study of Rig-Veda IV.50, Hymn to Brihaspati.

(For Sri Aurobindo’s complete commentary see appendix.)

Text in Devanagari.

ṛṣi: vāmadeva gautama; devatā: bṛhaspati, 10-11 indrābṛhaspatī; chanda:

triṣṭup, 10 jagatī

ys! t/StM-/ sh?sa/ iv Jmae ANta/n! b&h/Spit?s! iÇ;x/Swae rve?[ ,

tm! à/Æas/ \;?yae/ dIXya?na> pu/rae ivàa? dixre m/NÔij?þm! . 4-050-01

xu/net?y> suàke/tm! md?Ntae/ b&h?Spte A/i- ye n?s! tt/öe ,

p&;?Nt< s&/àm! Ad?Bxm! ^/vRm! b&h?Spte/ r]?tadœ ASy/ yaein?m! . 4-050-02

b&h?Spte/ ya p?r/ma p?ra/vdœ At/ Aa t? \t/Sp&zae/ in ;e?Ê> ,

tu_y<? oa/ta A?v/ta AiÔ?ÊGxa/ mXv? íaetNTy! A/i-tae? ivr/Pzm! . 4-050-03

b&h/Spit>? àw/m< jay?manae m/hae Jyaeit?;> pr/me Vyae?mn! ,

s/ÝaSy?s! tuivja/tae rve?[/ iv s/Ýr?iZmrœ Axm/t! tma<?is . 4-050-04

s su/òu-a/ s \Kv?ta g/[en? v/l< é?raej )il/g< rve?[ ,

b&h/Spit?rœ %/iöya? hVy/sUd>/ kin?³d/dœ vav?ztI/rœ %dœ Aa?jt! . 4-050-05

@/va ip/Çe iv/ñde?vay/ v&:[e? y/}Erœ iv?xem/ nm?sa h/ivi-R>? ,

b&h?Spte suà/ja vI/rv?Ntae v/y< Sya?m/ pt?yae ryI/[am! . 4-050-06

s #dœ raja/ àit?jNyain/ ivña/ zu:me?[ tSwav! A/i- vI/yˆR[

? ,

b&h/Spit</ y> su-&?tm! ib/-itR? vLgU/yit/ vNd?te pUvR/-aj?m! . 4-050-07

s #t! ]e?it/ suix?t/ Aaek?is/ Sve tSma/ #¦a? ipNvte ivñ/danI?m! ,

tSmE/ ivz>? Sv/ym! @/va n?mNte/ yiSm?n! ä/üa raj?in/ pUvR/ @it? . 4-050-08

Aà?tItae jyit/ s< xna?in/ àit?jNyaNy! %/t ya sj?Nya ,

A/v/Syve/ yae vir?v> k«/[aeit? ä/ü[e/ raja/ tm! A?viNt de/va> . 4-050-09
 2

#NÔ?z! c/ saem?m! ipbtm! b&hSpte =/iSmn! y/}e m?Ndsa/na v&?;{vsU ,

Aa va<? ivz/NTv! #Nd?v> Sva/-uvae? =/Sme r/iy< svR?vIr</ in y?CDtm! . 4-050-10

b&h?Spt #NÔ/ vxR?t< n>/ sca/ sa va<? sum/itrœ -U?Tv! A/Sme ,

A/iv/ò< ixyae? ijg&/tm! pur<?xIrœ jj/Stm! A/yaˆR v/nu;a/m! Ara?tI> . 4-050-11

Metrically Restored Text in Tahoma.

yás tastámbha sáhasā ví jmó ántān bŕ̥haspátis triṣadhasthó ráveṇa

́ ́
tám pratnāsa ŕ̥ṣayo dīdhiyānāḥ puró víprā dadhire mandrájihvam 4.50.1

dhunétayaḥ supraketám mádanto bŕ̥haspate abhí yé nas tatasré

pŕ̥ṣantaṃ sr̥prám ádabdham ūrvám bŕ̥haspate rákṣatād asya yónim 4.50.2

bŕ̥haspate yā́ paramā́ parāvád áta ā́ ta r̥taspŕ̥śo ní ṣeduḥ

túbhyaṃ khātā́ avatā́ ádridugdhā mádhva ścotanti abhíto virapśám 4.50.3

́
bŕ̥haspátiḥ prathamáṃ jāyamāno mahó jyótiṣaḥ paramé víoman
saptā́siyas tuvijātó ráveṇa ví saptáraśmir adhamat támāṃsi 4.50.4

sá suṣṭúbhā sá ŕ̥kvatā gaṇéna valáṃ ruroja phaligáṃ ráveṇa

́ ́
bŕ̥haspátir usríyā havyasūdaḥ kánikradad vāvaśatīr úd ājat 4.50.5

evā́ pitré viśvádevāya vŕ̥ṣṇe yajñaír vidhema námasā havírbhiḥ

bŕ̥haspate suprajā́ vīrávanto vayáṃ siyāma pátayo rayīṇā́m 4.50.6

́
sá íd rājā prátijanyāni víśvā śúṣmeṇa tasthāv abhí vīríyeṇa
́
bŕ̥haspátiṃ yáḥ súbhr̥tam bibhárti valgūyáti vándate pūrvabhājam 4.50.7

sá ít kṣeti súdhita ókasi své tásmā íḷā pinvate viśvadā́nīm

tásmai víśaḥ svayám evā́ namante yásmin brahmā́ rājani
́
pū́rva éti 4.50.8

ápratīto jayati sáṃ dhánāni prátijanyāni utá yā́ sájanyā

́
avasyáve yó várivaḥ kr̥ṇóti brahmáṇe rājā tám avanti devā́ḥ 4.50.9

índraś ca sómam pibatam br̥haspate asmín yajñé mandasānā́ vr̥ṣaṇvasū

ā́ vāṃ viśantu índavaḥ suābhúvo asmé rayíṃ sárvavīraṃ ní yachatam 4.5.10

bŕ̥haspata indara várdhataṃ naḥ sácā sā́ vāṃ sumatír bhūtu asmé
aviṣṭáṃ dhíyo jigr̥tám púraṃdhīr jajastám aryó vanúṣām árātīḥ 4.50.11
 3

Text with Translations and Vocabulary.

ys! t/StM-/ sh?sa/ iv Jmae ANta/n! b&h/Spit?s! iÇ;x/Swae rve?[ ,

tm! à/Æas/ \;?yae/ dIXya?na> pu/rae ivàa? dixre m/NÔij?þm! . 4-050-01

yás tastámbha sáhasā ví jmó ántān bŕ̥haspátis triṣadhasthó ráveṇa

tám pratnā́sa ŕ̥ṣayo dī́dhiyānāḥ puró víprā dadhire mandrájihvam 4.50.1

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

l. He who established in his might the extremities of the earth, Brihaspati, in the triple world of
our fulfilment, by his cry, on him the pristine sages meditated and, illumined, set him in their
front with his tongue of ecstasy.

Interpretation:
Brihaspati, who with his conquering force (sáhasā), with his cry (ráveṇa), has propped apart (ví
tastámbha) the ends of the earth (jmó ántān), the founder of the triple (place of) togetherness
(triṣadhasthó), - him, with his rapturous tongue (mandrájihvam), the ancient seers (pratnā́sa
ŕ̥ṣayo), the (illumined) sages (víprā), have by their shining meditations (dī́dhiyānāḥ) established
in front (of their consciousness) (puró dadhire).

German translation:
Der Herr des schöpferischen Wortes, der mit seiner überwältigenden Kraft, mit seinem Schrei,
die Enden der Erde auseinander gestemmt hat, der Begründer des dreifachen Ortes des
Zusammenseins, - ihn, den Gott mit verzückter Zunge, haben die ursprünglichen Seher und
Erleuchteten in ihren Meditationen in den Vordergrund (ihres Bewusstseins) gebracht. (1)

Vocabulary:
stambh, or stabh (connected with skambh q.v.; in native lists written stanbh) cl. 5. 9. P. to fix firmly,
support, sustain, prop (esp. the heavens) RV. AV. Br.; stambhayati, -te (aor. atastambhat), to fix,
establish, erect MBh. Kav. &c.; to make solid ib.; (Lith. stambras, stimbras; Germ. stampfon, stampfen;
Eng. stamp, stump.)
jman, (only loc. jman) = kṣāman (cf. jm, jmas s.v. 2. kskam) RV. vii,21,6 and 60,2; VS. xvii,6 cf. upa-,
uru-, dvi-barha-, pṛthu, pari-.
kṣāman, (a) n. earth, soil, ground RV.
sadhastha, (sadha-) mfn. "standing together", present RV. AV.
n. "place where people stand together", place of meeting, any place, spot, abode, home, region, world ib.
VS.
triṣadhastha, mf(ā)n. having a triple seat (sadh- = barhis) RV. (also –dhastha); n. a triple seat;
pratna, mf(ā)n. former, preceding; ancient, old; traditional, customary RV. AV. TS. Br. BhP.
dīdhī, 1 (connected with 2. dī) cl. 2. A. didhīte, to shine, be bright;
2 (cf. 1. dhī and dhyai) cl. 2. A. didhīte, 1. sg. dīdhye (RV. v,33,1), p. Pres. dīdhyat (RV. ii,20,1) and
dīdhyānā (RV., often with manasā) to perceive, think, be intent upon;
mandrajihva, (mandra-) mfn. "pleasing-tongued", pleasant-voiced RV.;

Old translators:
Griffith:
 4

1. Him who with might hath propped earth's ends, who sitteth in threefold seat, Brhaspati, with thunder,
Him of the pleasant tongue have ancient sages, deep-thinking, holy singers, set before them.
Geldner:
1. Brihaspati, der mit Gewalt die Grenzen der Erde unter Gebrüll auseinander gestemmt hat, der an drei
Sitzen Wohnende, ihn mit der wohllautenden Zunge haben die vormaligen Rishi´s, die redekundigen,
unter tiefem Nachdenken an ihre Spitze gestellt:

xu/net?y> suàke/tm! md?Ntae/ b&h?Spte A/i- ye n?s! tt/öe ,

p&;?Nt< s&/àm! Ad?Bxm! ^/vRm! b&h?Spte/ r]?tadœ ASy/ yaein?m! . 4-050-02

dhunétayaḥ supraketám mádanto bŕ̥haspate abhí yé nas tatasré

pŕ̥ṣantaṃ sr̥prám ádabdham ūrvám bŕ̥haspate rákṣatād asya yónim 4.50.2

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

2. They, O Brihaspati, vibrating with the impulse of their movement, rejoicing in perfected
consciousness wove for us abundant, rapid, invincible, wide, the world from which this being
was born. That do thou protect, O Brihaspati.

Interpretation:
O Brihaspati, they (the ancient seers) who take delight (mádanto) in the perfect perception
(supraketám) and vibrate (with its flow) (dhunétayaḥ) have (here) extended (it) for us (nas
tatasré) – variously overflowing (pŕ̥ṣantaṃ), streaming forward (sr̥prám), wide (ūrvám) and
unquenchable (ádabdham). O Lord of the Word, protect its (rákṣatād asya) place of birth (yoni)
(the origin of its rising).

(Some of Sri Aurobindo’s explanations on this verse:

The ancient Rishis attained to the most rapid vibration of the movement; the most full
and swift streaming of the flux of consciousness which constitutes our active existence,
no longer obscure as in the subconscient, but full of the joy of perfected consciousness,—not
apraketam like the Ocean described in the Hymn of Creation, but supraketam. Thus they are
described, dhunétayaḥ supraketám mádantaḥ. With this attainment of the full rapidity of
the activities of consciousness unified with its full light and bliss in the human
mentality they have woven for the race by the web of these rapid, luminous and
joyous perceptions the Truth-consciousness, Ritam Brihat, which is the womb or birth-
place of this conscient being. For it is out of the superconscient that existence descends
into the subconscient and carries with it that which emerges here as the individual
human being, the conscious soul. The nature of this Truth-consciousness is in itself this
that it is abundant in its outflowings, pṛṣantam, or, it may be, many-coloured in the variety of
its harmonised qualities; it is rapid in its motion, sṛpram; by that luminous rapidity it triumphs
over all that seeks to quell or break it, it is adabdham; above all it is wide, vast, infinite, ῡrvam.
In all these respects it is the opposite of the first limited movement which emerges out of the
subconscient; for that is stinted and grey, slow and hampered, easily overcome and broken by
the opposition of hostile powers, scanty and bounded in its scope.
But this Truth-consciousness manifested in man is capable of being again veiled from him by
the insurgence of the powers that deny, the Vritras, Vala. The Rishi therefore prays to
Brihaspati to guard it against that obscuration by the fullness of his soul-force.)
 5

German translation:
O Brihaspati, jene Seher, die sich der vollkommenen Wahrnehmung erfreuen und erbeben mit
ihrem Strom, haben sie für uns hier ausgedehnt, - mannigfaltig, schnell fließend, unbedrängbar
(oder, ununterdrückbar) und weit. O Herr des schöpferischen Wortes, beschütze ihren
Ursprungsort. (2)

Vocabulary:
dhuneti, mfn. having a roaring course RV. iv,50,2.
dhū, 1 cl. 5. P. A. dhūnoti, -nute RV. AV.; dhunoti, -nute Br. &c.;
to shake, agitate, cause to tremble RV. &c.; to shake or move violently (trans. and intr.); to fan or kindle
[Cf. dhav and dhāv];
dhunana, n. shaking , agitation W.
dhunaya, Nom. P. -yati, to roar, flow noisily RV.
dhuni, mfn. roaring, sounding, boisterous (the Maruts, rivers, the Soma &c.) RV. VS. TAr.
abhi taṃs, (perf. 3. pl. -tatasre), to shake out of, rob RV. iv,50,2 and x,89,15.
taṃs, (cl. 1. P. -sati, to decorate, A. –sate, to decorate one's self Vop. xxiv,12; pf. tatasre) "to move",
pour out (fig. a wish) RV. iv,23,5; to draw to and fro VS. xxiii,24: Intens, irr. tantasyati, "to afflict" or "to
be distressed" (cf. vi-taṃs);
[fr. tan? cf. tasara, Goth. at-pinsan, Old Germ. dinsan, "to draw"]
pṛṣ, cl. 1. P. parṣati, to sprinkle, to weary, to vex or hurt, to give;
cl. 1. A. parṣate (xvi,12 v.l. for varṣ), to become wet. (Perhaps akin to pruṣ; cf. also pṛśni.)
pṛṣat, mf(atī)n. spotted, speckled, piebald, variegated AV. VS. Br. GrSrS.
sprinkling W.
m. the spotted antelope R. (cf. g. vyāghrādi, where Kas. pṛṣata) a drop of water (only pl.; -tāmpati m.
"lord of the drops of water", the wind) Sis. vi,55
(atī) f. a dappled cow or mare (applied to the animals ridden by the Maruts) RV. VS. SBr. SrS.
sṛpra, mfn. slippery, oily (cf. sarpis) RV. smooth, supple, lithesome ib. (ā) f. N. of a river L. (am) n. honey
L.
(maybe: flowing forward or (ful)filling flow;)

Old translators:
Griffith:
2 Wild in their course, in well-marked wise rejoicing were they, Brhaspati, who pressed around us.
Preserve Brhaspati, the stall uninjured, this company's raining, ever-moving birthplace.
Geldner:
2. Die dröhnenden Schrittes, o Brihaspati, jubelnd unter guten Vorzeichen für uns ausgezogen sind nach
der eingeschlossenen Herde, der buntscheckigen, breiten, unbeschädigten - Brihaspati schütze künftig
deren Heimstätte!

b&h?Spte/ ya p?r/ma p?ra/vdœ At/ Aa t? \t/Sp&zae/ in ;e?Ê> ,

tu_y<? oa/ta A?v/ta AiÔ?ÊGxa/ mXv? íaetNTy! A/i-tae? ivr/Pzm! . 4-050-03

bŕ̥haspate yā́ paramā́ parāvád áta ā́ ta r̥taspŕ̥śo ní ṣeduḥ

túbhyaṃ khātā́ avatā́ ádridugdhā mádhva ścotanti abhíto virapśám 4.50.3

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

3. O Brihaspati, that which is the highest supreme of existence, thither from this world they
attain and take their seat who touch the Truth. For thee are dug the wells of honey which drain
this hill and their sweetnesses stream out on every side and break into overflowing.
 6

Interpretation:
O Brihaspati, from this (physical world) (atas) your (te) seers who are in contact with the Truth
(ṛtaspṛśaḥ) have fully settled down (ā ni ṣeduḥ) in that, which is the supreme beyond (yā́
paramā́ parāvát). For you the wells that have been dug (avatā́ khātā́) pour out from the hill
(ádridugdhā) and trickle (ścotanti) all over (abhítas) with honey (mádhva) in abundance
(virapśám).

(Or, O Lord of the Word, what is your (te) supreme beyond, - from here they who touch the
Truth have fully attained (that).)

German translation:
O Brihaspati, von dieser irdischen Welt aus haben sich deine Seher, die die Wahrheit berühren,
in jenem höchsten Transzendenten Sein niedergelassen. Für dich quellen (dort) die gegrabenen
Brunnen hervor, honigsüß und überreich sich allseitig aus dem Berg ergießend. (3)
(Oder: O Brihaspati, was deine Höchste Transzendenz ist - von hier haben sich jene, die die
Wahrheit berühren, (dort) niedergelassen. Für dich ergiessen sich die gegrabenen, den
Fels/Berg ausmelkenden Brunnen und quellen, überreich an Honig, allseitig über.)

Compare with III.1.8

b/æa/[> sU?nae shsae/ Vy! A*aE/dœ dxa?n> zu/³a r?-/sa vpU<?i; ,

íaet?iNt/ xara/ mxu?nae "&/tSy/ v&;a/ yÇ? vav&/xe kaVye?n . 3-001-08

babhrāṇáḥ sūno sahaso ví adyaud dádhānaḥ śukrā́ rabhasā́ vápūṃṣi
ścótanti dhā́rā mádhuno ghr̥tásya vŕ̥ṣā yátra vāvr̥dhé kā́viyena
HMF:
Upborne, O Son of Force, thou shinest out wide holding thy bright and rapturous bodies; there drip down
streams of the light and the sweetness, there where the Bull has grown by the seer-wisdom. (8)
Sri Aurobindo’s commentary from SV:
They bear the full force of Agni, the blaze of his lightnings, the glory and rapture of his universal forms.
For where the Lord, the Male, the Bull of the abundance is increased by the wisdom of the
superconscient Truth, there always flow the streams of the clarity and the streams of the bliss.

Vocabulary:
parāvat, f. distance (opp. to arvā-vat) ib. AV. Br.
atas, ind. (ablative of the pronom. base a, equivalent to asmāt}), from this, than this;
ṛtaspṛś, mfn. connected with pious works or worship RV. v,67,4 (N. of the Adityas) i,2,80; iv ,50,3 (N. of
Mitra-varuna) (touching water Say.)
spṛśa, mfn. touching, reaching to (in {sarvadvāra-sp-) MBh.
m. touch, contact (in duḥ-sp- q.v.)
avata, m. a well , cistern RV. (cf. avatka.)
ścut, 1 (often in later language written ścyut; cf. cyut) cl. 1. P. ścotati; to ooze, trickle, exude, drop,
distil RV. Br. BhP. Bhatt.
abhitas, ind. near to, towards MBh. &c.; near, in the proximity or presence of (gen.) Bhag. &c.; (with
acc.) on both sides SBr. &c.; (with acc.) before and after AsvSr. KatySr. Gaut.; (with acc.) on all sides,
everywhere, about, round; entirely MBh.
vi-rapśa, mf(ī)n. copious, abundant RV. i,8,8
m. superabundance ib. iv ,50 &c.
vi-rapś, A. -rapsate, to be full to overflowing, abound in (gen.), have too much of (instr.) RV. AV.
SA: at the touch of the Truth the rivers of honey, the quick pourings of the wine of Immortality trickle
and stream and break out into a flood of abundance over the whole extent of the human
consciousness.
 7

Old translators:
Griffith:
3 Brhaspati, from thy remotest distance have they sat down who love the law eternal.
For thee were dug wells springing from the mountain, which murmuring round about pour streams of
sweetness.
Geldner:
3. Brihaspati! Aus weitester Ferne gekommen haben sie für dich eine Opfersitzung gehalten, den rechten
Brauch hegend. Für dich träufen die gegrabenen Brunnen, die mit Steinen gemolken werden, den
Überschwang der Süßigkeit nach allen Seiten.

b&h/Spit>? àw/m< jay?manae m/hae Jyaeit?;> pr/me Vyae?mn! ,

s/ÝaSy?s! tuivja/tae rve?[/ iv s/Ýr?iZmrœ Axm/t! tma<?is . 4-050-04

bŕ̥haspátiḥ prathamáṃ jā́yamāno mahó jyótiṣaḥ paramé víoman

saptā́siyas tuvijātó ráveṇa ví saptáraśmir adhamat támāṃsi 4.50.4

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

4. Brihaspati first in his birth from the vast light, in the highest heavenly space, with his seven
fronts, with his seven rays, with his many births, drives utterly away the darknesses that
encompass us with his cry.

Interpretation:
The Lord of the Word, born first (jā́yamānaḥ prathamáṃ) from the great Light (mahó jyótiṣaḥ)
in the supreme (transcendent) ether (paramé víoman), with seven rays (saptáraśmir), multiply
manifested (tuvijātaḥ), with seven mouths (saptā́siyaḥ) – with his cry (ráva) he scattered (ví
adhamat) the darknesses (támāṃsi).

German translation
Der Herr des schöpferischen Wortes, als Erster geboren aus dem weiten Licht im
Transzendenten Ätherraum, mit Sieben Strahlen, vielfach sich offenbarend, mit Sieben
Mündern, - mit seinem Schrei vertrieb er die Dunkelheiten. (4)

Vocabulary:
vyoman, 2 m. accord. to Un. iv,150 fr. vye; accord. to others fr. vi-av or ve) heaven, sky, atmosphere, air
RV. &c.; space Kap.; ether (as an element) Kav. Pur. Susr.
saptāsya, mfn. 7-mouthed RV.; having 7 openings ib.
tuvijāta, mfn. of powerful nature (Indra, Varuna , &c.), i-vii , x.
rava, m. (1. ru) a roar, yell, cry, howl (of animals, wild beasts &c.) RV. &c.; song, singing (of birds) MBh.
R. &c.; hum, humming (of bees) Ragh. Kathas.; clamour, outcry Kathas.; thunder RV. MBh.; any noise or
sound (e.g. the whizz of a bow , the ringing of a bell &c.) MBh. Kav. &c.;
dham, or dhmA cl. 1. P. dhamati, to breathe out, exhale RV. ii,34,1 MBh. xiv,1732 to kindle a fire by
blowing RV. ii,24,7 MBh. ii,2483 to blow or cast away MBh. v,7209;
vi dham, (or -dhmā) P. -dhamati (ep.also -te), to blow away, scatter, disperse, destroy RV. &c.; Caus. -
dhmāpayati, to extinguish, HYogay.

Old translators:
Griffith:
4 Brhaspati, when first he had his being from mighty splendour in supremest heaven,
 8

Strong, with his sevenfold mouth, with noise of thunder, with his seven rays, blew and dispersed the
darkness.
Geldner:
4. Brihaspati hat zuerst, als er im höchsten Raume des großen Lichtes geboren ward, mit Gebrüll aus
siebenfachem Munde die Finsternis zerblasen, von starker Art, mit sieben Zügeln.

s su/òu-a/ s \Kv?ta g/[en? v/l< é?raej )il/g< rve?[ ,

b&h/Spit?rœ %/iöya? hVy/sUd>/ kin?³d/dœ vav?ztI/rœ %dœ Aa?jt! . 4-050-05

sá suṣṭúbhā sá ŕ̥kvatā gaṇéna valáṃ ruroja phaligáṃ ráveṇa

bŕ̥haspátir usríyā havyasū́daḥ kánikradad vā́vaśatīr úd ājat 4.50.5

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

5. He with his cohort of the rhythm that affirms, of the chant that illumines has broken Vala into
pieces with his cry. Brihaspati drives upward the Bright Ones who speed our offerings; he
shouts aloud as he leads them, lowing they reply.

Interpretation:
With the host (gaṇéna) of his soul-powers who have the illumining word (ŕ̥kvatā) and the
perfect affirmation (suṣṭúbhā) he (sá), by his cry (ráva), has broken apart (ruroja) the
concealer (valá). The Lord of the Word, shouting loudly (kánikradad), drove upwards (úd ājat)
the answering (vā́vaśatīḥ) herds of the light (usríyāḥ), who make effective our offerings
(havyasū́daḥ). (5)

From Sri Aurobindo’s commentary:

He calls to them with the voice of the superconscient knowledge; they follow him with
the response of the conscious intuition.
…when Madhuchchhandas says to Indra, “Thou didst uncover the hole of Vala of the Cows”, he
means that Vala is the concealer, the withholder of the Light and it is the concealed Light that
Indra restores to the sacrificer.

German translation:
Mit der Schar seiner Seelenkräfte, die das erleuchtende Wort besitzt, mit den Mächten der
vollkommenen Bestätigung, - mit seinem Schrei hat er den Verschließer (des Lichtes)
auseinandergebrochen. Brhaspati trieb die Herden des Lichts, die unsere Darbringung wirksam
machen, nach oben, - der laut Rufende die ihm Antwortenden. (5)
(Oder: ... die unsere Darbringungen einen dynamischen Impuls verleihen...)

Vocabulary:
ruj, cl. 6. P. rujati (ep. also -te; pf. ruroja) RV. &c. to break, break open, dash to pieces, shatter, destroy
RV. &c.
phaliga, (Padap. -li-ga) m. (prob.) a cask or leather-bag or anything to hold fluids (applied to clouds or
water-receptacles in mountains) RV.
It looks as if here and in I.62 Sri Aurobindo translates “pieces” for this word; or he did not translate it at
all, for its meaning is doubtful; the old engl. translator takes “obstructive” and the german “robber”.
usriya, mfn. reddish , bright (said of a cow and bull) RV.
m. a bull RV.
(ā) f. light, brightness; (The rays versus cows of the awakening or illumining inner Dawn.)
 9

a cow RV. AV.; any product of the cow (as milk) RV. AV.
havyasūd, (TS.) , or (VS.) mfn. preparing or providing the oblation.
SA translates “speed”; I think he relates it back to the root sū, which gives also not only a stem with the
meaning “to press out or create” but also “to impel “ etc.; here both meanings could make sense: the
ray-cows or illumined thoughts can impel as well as nourish our givings or aspirations etc.
sūd,1 (prob. connected with svad) cl. 1. A. sūdate, to put or keep in order, guide aright RV. AV; to
manage, arrange, prepare, effect, contrive RV.; to settle i.e. put an end to, kill, slay (also inanimate
objects) MBh. R. &c.; to squeeze, press, destroy Sis;
krand, to neigh after (acc.) RV. ix,67,4 and x,96,10: Intens. p.kanikradat, once kanikrat RV. ix,63,20; to
neigh, roar, rave, cry out RV. AV.
vāś, cl. 4. A. vāśyate (ep. also vāśyati, Ved. and ep. also vāśati; p. vāvaśāna, to roar, howl, bellow, bleat,
low (as a cow), cry, shriek, sing (like a bird), sound , resound RV. &c;
āj, (ā-aj), -ajati, to drive towards (as cattle or enemies) RV. VS. AitBr.

Old translators:
Griffith:
5 With the loud-shouting band who sang his praises, with thunder, he destroyed obstructive Vala.
Brhaspati thundering drave forth the cattle, the lowing cows who make oblations ready.
Geldner:
5. Er hat mit seiner schönsingenden, er mit seiner verskundigen Schar den Vala erbrochen, den Räuber
mit Gebrüll. Brihaspati trieb laut brüllend die blökenden Kühe heraus, die die Opferspende gar machen.

@/va ip/Çe iv/ñde?vay/ v&:[e? y/}Erœ iv?xem/ nm?sa h/ivi-R>? ,

b&h?Spte suà/ja vI/rv?Ntae v/y< Sya?m/ pt?yae ryI/[am! . 4-050-06

evā́ pitré viśvádevāya vŕ̥ṣṇe yajñaír vidhema námasā havírbhiḥ

bŕ̥haspate suprajā́ vīrávanto vayáṃ siyāma pátayo rayīṇā́m 4.50.6

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

6. Thus to the Father, the universal Godhead, the Bull of the herds, may we dispose our
sacrifices and submission and oblations; O Brihaspati, full of energy and rich in offspring may
we become masters of the felicities.

Word by word:
Thus (evā́) to the Father (pitré), the universal Godhead (viśvádevāya), the Bull of the herds
(vŕ̥ṣṇe), may we dispose (vidhema) our sacrifices and submission and oblations (yajñaír námasā
havírbhiḥ); O Brihaspati, full of energy (vīrávantaḥ) and rich in offspring (suprajā́ḥ) may we
become (vayáṃ siyāma) masters of the felicities (pátayo rayīṇā́m).

German translation:
Darum wollen wir uns nun dem Vater, der Universalen Gottheit, dem mächtigen Befruchter mit
Opfern, mit Darbringungen in Hingabe weihen. O Brihaspati, mit vollkommenem Zuwachs und
heroischer Kraft, mögen wir Besitzer der strahlenden Reichtümer sein. (6)

Vocabulary:
vidh 1 cl. 6. P. -vidhati (in RV. also -te), to worship, honour a god (dat., loc., or acc.) with (instr.) RV. AV.
TBr. BhP.; to present reverentially, offer, dedicate RV. AV.; to be gracious or kind, befriend (said of
Indra) RV. viii,78,7.
 10

Old translators:
Griffith:
6 Serve we with sacrifices, gifts, and homage even thus the Steer of all the Gods, the Father.
Brhaspati, may we be lords of riches, with noble progeny and store of heroes.
Geldner:
6. So wollen wir dem Vater, dem alle Götter gehören, dem Bullen mit Anbetung, mit Verbeugung, mit
Opferspenden dienen. Brihaspati! Wir möchten gute Kinder, Söhne besitzen und Herren von Reichtümern
sein.

s #dœ raja/ àit?jNyain/ ivña/ zu:me?[ tSwav! A/i- vI/y?ˆR[,

b&h/Spit</ y> su-&?tm! ib/-itR? vLgU/yit/ vNd?te pUvR/-aj?m! . 4-050-07

́
sá íd rājā prátijanyāni víśvā śúṣmeṇa tasthāv abhí vīríyeṇa
́
bŕ̥haspátiṃ yáḥ súbhr̥tam bibhárti valgūyáti vándate pūrvabhājam 4.50.7

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

7. Verily is he King and conquers by his energy, by his heroic force all that is in the worlds that
confront him, who bears Brihaspati in him well-contained and has the exultant dance and
adores and gives him the first fruits of his enjoyment.

Interpretation:
Who bears (yáḥ bibhárti) Brihaspati (in himself) perfectly held (súbhr̥tam), who exults him and
́
offers him (valgūyáti vándate) the first share (of all his life-experiences) (pūrvabhājam) – he
́
indeed is the King (sá íd rājā), and with a glowing force and heroic energy (śúṣmeṇa vīríyeṇa)
he enters (meets) firmly (abhí tasthāu) all (inner and outer) worlds of beings that confront him
(víśvā prátijanyāni).

German translation:
Wer Brihaspati, vollkommen gehalten, in sich trägt, wer durchs Leben tanzt und ihm den ersten
Teil seines Genusses darbietet, - der ist wahrlich ein König und betritt mit glühender und
heroischer Kraft alle ihm begegnenden (inneren und äußeren) bevölkerten Welten. (7)

Vocabulary:
prati-jan, m. an adversary AV.
-nya (pratī-) mfn. adverse, hostile RV.
See Sri Aurobindo’s commentary and also compare with sajanya below and vishvajanya in X.67.1; see
also SV p.169
abhi-sthā, (-tiṣṭhati RV. iv,4,9) to tread or step upon (acc.) RV. AV. TS. SBr.; to overpower, defeat RV.
AV. VS.; to extend or rise over (acc.) RV. i, 149,4 and iii,14,4; to step or advance towards (acc.) PBr.
Kaus.
subhṛta, (su-) mfn. well borne or maintained, well cherished or protected RV.;
valga, cl. 1. P. valgati, to spring, bound, leap, dance (also of inanimate objects) VS. &c.; to sound Pancat.
i,71 (v.l.);
(A.) to take food, eat, Sii. xiv,29 (vavāgire v.l. vavalihire).
valgū, Nom. P. -yati, to treat kindly RV. iv,50,7; to exult, Bhatt.
vand, (cf. vad) cl. A. vandate, to praise, celebrate, laud, extol RV. AV.;
to show honour, do homage, salute respectfully or deferentially, venerate, worship, adore RV. &c.; to
offer anything (acc.) respectfully to (dat.)
pūrvabhāj, mfn. receiving the first share, the first sharer, preferred, privileged, excellent RV.
 11

Old translators:
Griffith:
7 Surely that King by power and might heroic hath made him lord of all his foes' posses-ions,
Who cherishes Brhaspati well-tended, adorns and worships him as foremost sharer.
Geldner:
7. Der König besteht alle feindlichen Völker mit Mut und Tapferkeit, der den Brihaspati hoch in Ehren
hält, artig behandelt, lobt und ihm den Vorrang läßt.

s #t! ]e?it/ suix?t/ Aaek?is/ Sve tSma/ #¦a? ipNvte ivñ/danI?m! ,

tSmE/ ivz>? Sv/ym! @/va n?mNte/ yiSm?n! ä/üa raj?in/ pUvR/ @it? . 4-050-08

sá ít kṣeti súdhita ókasi své tásmā íḷā pinvate viśvadā́nīm

tásmai víśaḥ svayám evā́ namante yásmin brahmā́ rājani ́
pū́rva éti 4.50.8

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

8. Yea, he dwells firmly seated in his proper home and for him Ila at all times grows in richness.
To him all creatures of themselves submit, the King, he in whom the Soul-Power goes in front.

Interpretation:
He indeed dwells well-established (sá ít kṣeti súdhita) in his own (highest) home (své ókasi) and
for him at all times (tásmai viśvadā́nīm) flourishes the stream (pinvate íḷā) (of the revealing
word). To him verily the creatures (tásmai eva víśaḥ) surrender by themselves (ā́ namante
́
svayám) – to the king, in whom (rājani yásmin) the soul comes first (brahmā́ éti pū́rva).

German translation:
Der wohnt wahrlich vollkommen etabliert in seinem eigenen höchsten Ort, und zu aller Zeit
gedeiht für ihn Ila, die Göttin der Wahrheitsschau. Ihm geben sich ganz von selbst die
Geschöpfe hin, - dem König, in welchem die Seele in den Vordergrund kommt. (8)

Vocabulary:
okas, n. house, dwelling, place of abiding, abode, home, refuge, asylum RV. AV. MBh. BhP. &c. (cf.
divaukas, vanaukas, &c.)
iḷā, f. (closely connected with iḍā and irā, qq.v.) flow; speech; the earth, &c.;
pinv, cl. 1. P. pinvati, to cause to swell, distend; to cause to overflow or abound RV. AV. Br. GrSrS.; A. to
swell, be distended, abound, overflow ib.;
brahman, n. (lit. "growth", "expansion", "evolution", "development", "swelling of the spirit or soul", fr. 2.
bṛh) pious effusion or utterance, outpouring of the heart in worshipping the gods, prayer RV. AV. VS. TS.;
m. (brahman), one who prays, a devout or religious man, a Brahman who is a knower of Vedic texts or
spells, one versed in sacred knowledge RV. &c. &c. [cf. Lat., flamen];
N. of Brihas-pati (as the priest of the gods) RV. x,141,3
pūrva, mf(ā)n. being before or in front; first RV. &c.

Old translators:
Griffith:
8 In his own house he dwells in peace and comfort: to him for ever holy food flows richly.
To him the people with free will pay homage-the King with whom the Brahman hatb precedence.
 12

Geldner:
8. Der wohnt behaglich im eigenen Hause, ihm schwillt die Ila allezeit an. Vor dem König beugen sich von
selbst die Untertanen, bei dem der Hohepriester den Vortritt hat.

Aà?tItae jyit/ s< xna?in/ àit?jNyaNy! %/t ya sj?Nya ,

A/v/Syve/ yae vir?v> k«/[aeit? ä/ü[e/ raja/ tm! A?viNt de/va> . 4-050-09

ápratīto jayati sáṃ dhánāni prátijanyāni utá yā́ sájanyā

́
avasyáve yó várivaḥ kr̥ṇóti brahmáṇe rājā tám avanti devā́ḥ 4.50.9

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

9. None can assail him, he conquers utterly all the riches of the worlds which confront him and
the world in which he dwells; he who for the Soul-Power that seeks its manifestation creates in
himself that highest good, is cherished by the gods.

Interpretation:
The king, who creates (yó kr̥ṇóti) for the soul (brahmáṇe) that seeks unfoldment (avasyáve) a
vast space (várivaḥ), him the gods unfold (tám avanti devā́ḥ). Without resistance (ápratīto) he
conquers entirely the riches (jayati sáṃ dhánāni) of the (inner and outer) worlds of beings that
confront him (prátijanyāni) and those which are already his (utá yā́ sájanyā).

German translation:
Den König, der für die Entfaltung suchende Seele weiten Raum schafft, bringen die Götter zur
Entfaltung. Unwiderstehlich erringt er vollständig die Reichtümer der bevölkerten Welten, die
ihm schon angehören und jener, die ihm begegnen werden. (9)

Vocabulary:
apratīta, mfn. unapproached, unattackable RV. AV. vii,25,1;
sajanya, (sa-) mfn. belonging to a kinsman RV. (cf. -janīya).
avasyu, mfn. desiring favour or assistance RV. VS. (v,32 and xviii,45; nom. sg.
m. -syūḥ) (said of Indra) desirous of helping or assisting RV. iv, 16,11 and v,31,10, (cf. Pa. 6-1,116)
varivas, n. room, width, space, free scope, ease, comfort, bliss RV. VS. TS. (acc. with kṛ, dhā or vid and
dat., "make room for, clear the path to")
wealth, treasure (= dhana) Naigh.
SA: the highest good;
av, cl. I .P. avati, to drive, impel, animate (as a car or horse) RV.;
Ved. to promote, favour (chiefly Ved.) to satisfy, refresh; to offer (as a hymn to the gods) RV. iv,44,6;
to lead or bring to (dat.: ūtaye) RV.; (said of the gods) to be pleased with, like, accept favourably (as
sacrifices, prayers or hymns) RV., (chiefly said of kings or princes) to guard, defend, protect, govern BhP.
Ragh. ix,1 VarBrS. &c.;

Old translators:
Griffith:
9 He, unopposed, is master of the riches.of his own subjects and of hostile people.
The Gods uphold that King with their protection who helps the Brahman when he seeks his favour.
Geldner:
9. Ohne Widerstand gewinnt er die Schätze von Feind und Freund. Welcher König dem
schutzsuchenden Brahmanen einen Ausweg aus Not schafft, den begünstigen die Götter.
 13

#NÔ?z! c/ saem?m! ipbtm! b&hSpte =/iSmn! y/}e m?Ndsa/na v&?;{vsU ,

Aa va<? ivz/NTv! #Nd?v> Sva/-uvae? =/Sme r/iy< svR?vIr</ in y?CDtm! . 4-050-10

índraś ca sómam pibatam br̥haspate asmín yajñé mandasānā́ vr̥ṣaṇvasū

ā́ vāṃ viśantu índavaḥ suābhúvo asmé rayíṃ sárvavīraṃ ní yachatam 4.5.10

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

10. Thou, O Brihaspati, and Indra, drink the Soma-wine rejoicing in this sacrifice, lavishing
substance. Let the powers of its delight enter into you and take perfect form, control in us a
felicity full of every energy.

Interpretation:
Indra and Brihaspati, O showerers of the luminous treasure (vr̥ṣaṇvasū), drink both our Soma
(sómam pibatam) and take rapture (mandasānā́) in this sacrifice (asmín yajñé). May the nectar-
streams (índavaḥ) enter you both (ā́ vāṃ viśantu) and reach their utter fullness (or,
manifestation) (suābhúvaḥ). (Then) may you both extend in us (asmé ní yachatam) the shining
wealth and a universal energy (rayíṃ sárvavīraṃ).

German translation:
O Herr des Seelen-Wortes und Göttlicher Geist, trinkt beide die Essenz der von uns sublimierten
Freude am Dasein (Soma) und findet euer Entzücken in diesem Opfer, ihr fruchtbaren Spender
des lichtvollen Schatzes. Mögen die Nektarströme in euch eingehen und ihren vollkommenen
Ausdruck finden; und mögt ihr in uns einen strahlenden Reichtum, eine universale Energie zur
Anwendung bringen. (10)

Vocabulary:
mand, 1 (cf. 2. mad) 1. A. mandate (Ved. also P. –ti), to rejoice, be glad or delighted, be drunk or
intoxicated (lit. and fig.) RV. AV. (P.); to gladden, exhilarate, intoxicate, inflame, inspirit RV.
vṛṣanvasu, mfn. possessing or bringing great wealth RV.
SA: pouring out abundantly the substance and riches of the spirit
ā viś, P. A. (-viśati, -te) to go or drive in or towards; to approach, enter; to take possession of RV. AV.
VS. SBr. MBh. BhP. R. Mn. &c.; to sit down, settle MBh.; to get or fall into to reach, obtain;
indu, m. (und Un. i,13; probably fr. ind = und, "to drop"; perhaps connected with bindu, which last is
unknown in the Rig-veda.),
Ved. a drop (especially of Soma), Soma RV. AV. VS.;
a bright drop, a spark TS.; the moon;
ā-bhū, 2 mfn. present, being near at hand, assisting, helping RV. approaching, turning one's self towards
(as a worshipper towards the deity) RV. i,51,9;
(ūs) m. a helper, assistant.
su-ābhū, mfn. very abundant or ready to hand RV.; ready to help ib.
(eg. to perfectly come into manifestation, or to manifest in completeness or fullness;)
yam, cl. 1. P. yacchati (Ved. ep. yamati, -te; to sustain, hold, hold up, support; to stretch out, expand,
spread, display, show RV.;
confer, grant, bestow on (dat. or loc.), present with (instr.) RV. &c.;
ni yam, P. -yacchati, to stop (trans.), hold back, detain with (loc.);
(A.) to stop (intrans.), stay, remain RV.; to keep back, refuse; to hold over, extend (śarma) AV.; to hold
downwards (the hand) TS.;
 14

to bring near, procure, bestow, grant, offer, present (rain, gifts &c.) RV. AV. Br. &c.; to hold in, keep
down, restrain, control, govern, regulate (as breath, the voice, the organs of sense &c.) Mn. MBh. &c.

Old translators:
Griffith:
10 Indra, Brhaspati, rainers of treasure, rejoicing at this sacrifice drink the Soma.
Let the abundant drops sink deep within you: vouchsafe us riches with full store of heroes.
Geldner:
10. Indra und Brihaspati! Trinket den Soma, berauscht euch bei diesem Opfer, ihr ... In euch sollen die
wirksamen Säfte eingehen. Uns bestimmet einen Schatz von vollständiger Söhnezahl!

b&h?Spt #NÔ/ vxR?t< n>/ sca/ sa va<? sum/itrœ -U?Tv! A/Sme ,

A/iv/ò< ixyae? ijg&/tm! pur<?xIrœ jj/Stm! A/yaˆR v/nu;a/m! Ara?tI> . 4-050-11

bŕ̥haspata indara várdhataṃ naḥ sácā sā́ vāṃ sumatír bhūtu asmé
aviṣṭáṃ dhíyo jigr̥tám púraṃdhīr jajastám aryó vanúṣām árātīḥ 4.50.11

Sri Aurobindo’s translation:

11. O Brihaspati, O Indra, increase in us together and may that your perfection of mind be
created in us; foster the thoughts, bring out the mind’s multiple powers; destroy all poverties
that they bring who seek to conquer the Aryan.

Interpretation:
O Lord of the Word and Lord of the divine Mind, jointly (sácā) grow for us (várdhataṃ naḥ);
thus may your (vāṃ) perfect (or, right and soul-inspired) thinking (sumatíḥ) become manifest in
us (bhūtu asmé). Unfold our (intuitive) thoughts (aviṣṭáṃ dhíyaḥ), awaken a rich intelligence
(jigr̥tám púraṃdhīḥ) and exhaust (jajastám) the selfish (lightless) powers (árātīḥ) of those who
desire to attack (vanúṣām) the strivers for perfection (aryaḥ).

German translation:
O Brihaspati, o Indra, gemeinsam wachst in uns, auf dass euer beseeltes rechtes Denken sich in
uns offenbare. Entfaltet die (intuitiven) Gedanken, erweckt eine reiche Intelligenz. Bezwingt alle
selbstsüchtigen lichtlosen Mächte, die den nach Vollendung Strebenden zu überwältigen
suchen. (11)

Vocabulary:
sumati, f. good mind or disposition, benevolence, kindness, favour (acc. with kṛ "to make any one the
object of one's favour ") RV. AV.;
devotion, prayer ib.; the right taste for, pleasure or delight in (loc.) R.;
mfn. very wise or intelligent Kav. Pancat.
sacā, ind. near, at hand, along, together, together with, in the presence of; before, in, at, by (with loc.
either preceding or following) RV. VS. TBr.;
av, Imper. 2. du. aviṣṭam; (meaning see vers 9 above);
jāgṛ, cl. 2. (-garti) to be awake or watchful RV. AV. &c.; to watch over, be attentive to or intent on, care
for, provide, superintend (with loc. or loc. with {adhi}) RV. AV. &c.;
Caus. (aor. 2. and 3. sg. ajīgar, Impv. jigṛtam, -ta) to awaken RV.
puraṃdhi, mfn. (etym. much contested; prob. fr. acc. of 1. or 3. pur and dhā, "bearing fulness" or
"bearing a body") prolific, not barren (lit. and fig.), bountiful, munificent, liberal RV. VS. TS.; f. a woman,
 15

wife RV. i,116,7; liberality, munificence, kindness (shown by gods to man e.g. RV. i,5,3; 158 2 &c.; or by
man to gods in offering oblations e.g. i,123,6; 134,3 &c.; also personified as goddess of abundance and
liberality e.g. vii,36,8 &c.)
jas, cl. i. A. (p. jasamāna) to be exhausted or starved RV. i,112,6;
vii,68,8; 2. du. jajastam, to exhaust, weaken, cause to expire RV. iv,50,11; SBr. ii,2,2,19;
to hurt (cf. Pan. 2-3 , 56); to strike, xxxiii; to contemn ib.;
vanu, m. "zealous, eager", (either) an assailant, injurer, enemy RV. iv,30,5 (or) an adherent, friend ib.
x,74,1.
vanus, mfn. zealous, eager; (either) anxious for, attached or devoted to, a friend; (or) eager to attack, a
foe, enemy RV.
van, cl. 1. cl. 8. to like, love, wish, desire RV. AV.
to gain, acquire, procure (for one's self or others) RV. AV. SBr.
to prepare, make ready for, aim at, attack RV.
to hurt, injure MW.
Got. gawinnan, Germ. gewinnen, Eng. win;
vanuṣa, (fr. vanus), Nons. A. -ṣate (only vanuṣanta), to obtain, acquire RV. x,128,3.
vanuṣya, (fr. vanus) Nom. P. A. -ṣyati, -te, to plot against, attack, assail RV. i,132,1 &c. (A.) to wish for,
desire ib. ix,7,6.
ari, 1 mfn. (ṛ), attached to, faithful RV.; (is) m. a faithful or devoted or pious man RV.
arātiya, Nom. P. (Subj. -tsyāt) to be malevolent, have hostile intentions against (dat.) AV. iv , 36 , 1.
rāti, mfn. ready or willing to give, generous, favourable, gracious RV. AV. VS. Br.;
f. a favour, grace, gift, oblation RV. &c.; (in RV. also "the Giver" conceived of as a deity and associated
with Bhaga;

Old Translators:
Griffith:
11 Brhaspati and Indra, make us prosper may this be your benevolence to usward.
Assist our holy thoughts, wake up our spirit: weaken the hatred of our foe and rivals.
Geldner:
11. Brihaspati, Indra! Stärket uns gemeinsam; diese eure Gnade soll uns werden! Begünstiget die
Gebete, erwecket die Freigebigkeit; dämpfet die Mißgunst des Nebenbuhlers, der Eifersüchtigen!

Appendix:
COMMENTARY on IV.50 from “The Secret of the Veda”.
(Introduction to the Hymn.)
Brihaspati, Brahmanaspati, Brahma are the three names of the god to whom the Rishi
Vamadeva addresses this mystic hymn of praise. In the later Puranic theogonies Brihaspati and
Brahma have long become separate deities. Brahma is the Creator, one of the Three who form
the great Puranic Trinity; Brihaspati is a figure of no great importance, spiritual teacher of the
gods, and incidentally guardian of the planet Jupiter; Brahmanaspati, the middle term which
once linked the two, has disappeared. To restore the physiognomy of the Vedic deity we have
to reunite what has been disjoined and correct the values of the two separated terms in the
light of the original Vedic conceptions. Brahman in the Veda signifies ordinarily the Vedic Word
or mantra in its profoundest aspect as the expression of the intuition arising out of the depths
of the soul or being. It is a voice of the rhythm which has created the worlds and creates
perpetually. All world is expression or manifestation, creation by the Word. Conscious Being
luminously manifesting its contents in itself, of itself, tmanā, is the superconscient; holding its
contents obscurely in itself it is the subconscient. The higher, the self-luminous descends into
the obscure, into the night, into darkness concealed in darkness, tamas tamasā gūḍham, where
all is hidden in formless being owing to fragmentation of consciousness, tucchyenābhvapihitam.
It arises again out of the Night by the Word to reconstitute in the conscient its vast unity,
tanmahinājāyataikam. This vast Being, this all-containing and all-formulating consciousness is
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Brahman. It is the Soul that emerges out of the subconscient in Man and rises towards the
superconscient. And the word of creative Power welling upward out of the soul is also brahman.
The Divine, the Deva, manifests itself as conscious Power of the soul, creates the worlds by the
Word out of the waters of the subconscient, apraketaṃ salilaṃ sarvam,—the inconscient ocean
that was this all, as it is plainly termed in the great Hymn of Creation. This power of the Deva is
Brahma, the stress in the name falling more upon the conscious soul-power than upon the
Word which expresses it. The manifestation of the different world-planes in the conscient
human being culminates in the manifestation of the superconscient, the Truth and the Bliss,
and this is the office of the supreme Word or Veda. Of this supreme word Brihaspati is the
master, the stress in this name falling upon the potency of the Word rather than upon the
thought of the general soul-power which is behind it. Brihaspati gives the Word of knowledge,
the rhythm of expression of the superconscient, to the gods and especially to Indra, the lord of
Mind, when they work in man as “Aryan” powers for the great consummation. It is easy to see
how these conceptions came to be specialised in the broader, but less subtle and profound
Puranic symbolism into Brahma, the Creator, and Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods. In the
name Brahmanaspati, the two varying stresses are unified and equalised. It is the link-name
between the general and the special aspects of the same deity.

(Verse by verse commentary.)

Vers 1
Brihaspati is he who has established firmly the limits and definitions of the Earth, that is to say
of the material consciousness. The existence out of which all formations are made is an
obscure, fluid and indeterminate movement,—salilam, Water. The first necessity is to create a
sufficiently stable formation out of this flux and running so as to form a basis for the life of the
conscient. This Brihaspati does in the formation of the physical consciousness and its world,
sahasā, by force, by a sort of mighty constraint upon the resistance of the subconscient. This
great creation he effects by establishing the triple principle of mind, life and body, always
present together and involved in each other or evolved out of each other in the world of the
cosmic labour and fulfilment. The three together form the triple seat of Agni and there he works
out the gradual work of accomplishment or perfection which is the object of the sacrifice.
Brihaspati forms by sound, by his cry, raveṇa, for the Word is the cry of the soul as it awakens
to ever-new perceptions and formations. “He who established firmly by force the ends of the
earth, Brihaspati in the triple seat of the fulfilment, by his cry.”
(yas tastambha sahasā vi jmo antān, bṛhaspatis triṣadhastho raveṇa.)

On him, it is said, the ancient or pristine Rishis meditated; meditating, they became illumined in
mind; illumined, they set him in front as the god of the ecstatic tongue, mandrajihvam, the
tongue that takes joy of the intoxicating wine of Soma, mada, madhu, of that which is the wave
of sweetness, madhumān ῡrmiḥ (IX.110.11), hidden in the conscient existence and out of it
progressively delivered.
(taṃ pratnāsa ṛṣayo dīdhyānāḥ, puro viprā dadhire mandrajihvam.)

But of whom is there question? The seven divine Rishis, ṛṣayo divyāḥ, who fulfilling
consciousness in each of its seven principles and harmonising them together
superintend the evolution of the world, or the human fathers, pitaro manuṣyāḥ, who first
discovered the higher knowledge and formulated for man the infinity of the Truth-
consciousness? Either may be intended, but the reference seems to be rather to the conquest
of the Truth by the human fathers, the Ancients. The word dīdhyāna in the Veda means both
shining, becoming luminous, and thinking, meditating, fixing in the thought. It is constantly
being used with the peculiar Vedic figure of a double or complex sense. In the first sense
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[shining] it must be connected with viprāḥ, and the suggestion is that the Rishis became more
and more luminous in thought by the triumphant force of Brihaspati until they grew into
Illuminates, viprāḥ. In the second [thinking] it is connected with dadhire and suggests that the
Rishis, meditating on the intuitions that rise up from the soul with the cry of Brihaspati in the
sacred and enlightening Word, holding them firmly in the thought, became illuminated in mind,
open to the full inflow of the superconscient. They were thus able to bring into the front of the
conscious being that activity of the soul-thoughts which works usually in the background,
veiled, and to make it the leading activity of their nature. As a result Brihaspati in them became
able to taste for them the bliss of existence, the wine of Immortality, the supreme Ananda. The
formation of the definite physical consciousness is the first step, this awakening to the Ananda
by the bringing forward in mind of the intuitive soul as the leader of our conscious activities is
the consummation or, at least, the condition of the consummation. The result is the formation
of the Truth-consciousness in man.

Vers 2
The ancient Rishis attained to the most rapid vibration of the movement; the most full and swift
streaming of the flux of consciousness which constitutes our active existence, no longer obscure
as in the subconscient, but full of the joy of perfected consciousness,—not apraketam like the
Ocean described in the Hymn of Creation, but supraketam. Thus they are described,
dhunetayaḥ supraketaṃ madantaḥ. With this attainment of the full rapidity of the
activities of consciousness unified with its full light and bliss in the human mentality
they have woven for the race by the web of these rapid, luminous and joyous
perceptions the Truth-consciousness, Ritam Brihat, which is the womb or birth-place of
this conscient being. For it is out of the superconscient that existence descends into
the subconscient and carries with it that which emerges here as the individual
human being, the conscious soul. The nature of this Truth-consciousness is in itself this
that it is abundant in its outflowings, pṛṣantam, or, it may be, many-coloured in the variety of
its harmonised qualities; it is rapid in its motion, sṛpram; by that luminous rapidity it triumphs
over all that seeks to quell or break it, it is adabdham; above all it is wide, vast, infinite, ῡrvam.
In all these respects it is the opposite of the first limited movement which emerges out of the
subconscient; for that is stinted and grey, slow and hampered, easily overcome and broken by
the opposition of hostile powers, scanty and bounded in its scope.
But this Truth-consciousness manifested in man is capable of being again veiled from him by
the insurgence of the powers that deny, the Vritras, Vala. The Rishi therefore prays to
Brihaspati to guard it against that obscuration by the fullness of his soul-force. (Dhunetayaḥ
supraketaṃ madanto, bṛhaspate abhi ye nas tatasre; pṛṣantaṃ sṛpram adabdham ῡrvaṃ,
bṛhaspate rakṣatād asya yonim.)

Vers 3
The Truth-consciousness is the foundation of the superconscient, the nature of which is the
Bliss. It is the supreme of the supraconscient, paramā parāvat, from which the being has
descended, the parama parārdha of the Upanishads, the existence of Sachchidananda. It is to
that highest existence that those arise out of this physical consciousness, ataḥ, who like the
ancient Rishis enter into contact with the Truth-consciousness. (Bṛhaspate yā paramā parāvad,
ata ā te ṛtaspṛśo ni ṣeduḥ.) They make it their seat and home, kṣaya, okas. For in the hill of the
physical being there are dug for the soul those abounding wells of sweetness which draw out of
its hard rigidity the concealed Ananda; at the touch of the Truth the rivers of honey, the quick
pourings of the wine of Immortality trickle and stream and break out into a flood of abundance
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over the whole extent of the human consciousness. (tubhyaṃ khātā avatā adridugdhā,
madhvaḥ ścotanti abhito virapśam.)

Vers 4
Thus Brihaspati, becoming manifest first of the gods out of the vastness of that Light of the
Truth-consciousness, in that highest heavenly space of the supreme superconscient, maho
jyotiṣaḥ parame vyoman, presents himself in the full sevenfold aspect of our conscious being,
multiply born in all the forms of the interplay of its seven principles ranging from the material to
the purest spiritual, luminous with their sevenfold ray which lights all our surfaces and all our
profundities, and with his triumphant cry dispels and scatters all powers of the Night, all
encroachments of the Inconscient, all possible darknesses. Bṛhaspatiḥ prathamaṃ jāyamāno,
maho jyotiṣaḥ parame vyoman; saptāsyas tuvijāto raveṇa, vi saptaraśmir adhamat tamāṃsi.

Vers 5
It is by the powers of the Word, by the rhythmic army of the soul-forces that Brihaspati brings
all into expression and dispelling all the darknesses that encompass us makes an end of the
Night. These are the “Brahma”s of the Veda, charged with the word, the brahman, the mantra;
it is they in the sacrifice who raise heavenward the divine Rik, the Stubh or Stoma. Ṛk,
connected with the word arka which means light or illumination, is the Word considered as a
power of realisation in the illuminating consciousness; stubh is the Word considered as a power
which affirms and confirms in the settled rhythm of things. That which has to be expressed
is realised in consciousness, affirmed, finally confirmed by the power of the Word.
The “Brahma”s or Brahmana forces are the priests of the Word, the creators by the divine
rhythm. It is by their cry that Brihaspati breaks Vala into fragments.
As Vritra is the enemy, the Dasyu, who holds back the flow of the sevenfold waters of conscient
existence,—Vritra, the personification of the Inconscient, so Vala is the enemy, the
Dasyu, who holds back in his hole, his cave, bilam, guhā, the herds of the Light; he is the
personification of the subconscient. Vala is not himself dark or inconscient, but a cause of
darkness. Rather his substance is of the light, valaṃ gomantam, valaṃ vapuṣam, but he holds
the light in himself and denies its conscious manifestation. He has to be broken into fragments
in order that the hidden lustres may be liberated. Their escape is expressed by the emergence
of the Bright Ones, the herds of the Dawn, from the cavern below in the physical hill and their
driving upward by Brihaspati to the heights of our being whither with them and by them we
climb. He calls to them with the voice of the superconscient knowledge; they follow
him with the response of the conscious intuition. They give in their course the impulsion
to the activities which form the material of the sacrifice and constitute the offerings given to the
gods and these also are carried upward till they reach the same divine goal.

Vers 6
This self-expressive Soul, Brihaspati, is the Purusha, the Father of all things; it is the
universal Divinity; it is the Bull of the herds, the Master and fertilizer of all these luminous
energies evolved or involved, active in the day or obscurely working in the night of things,
which constitute the becoming or world-existence, bhuvanam. To the Purusha under the name
of Brihaspati the Rishi would have us dispose in the order of a sacrifice all the materials of our
being by sacrificial action in which they are given up to the All-Soul as acceptable oblations
offered with adoration and surrender. By the sacrifice we shall become through the grace of
this godhead full of heroic energy for the battle of life, rich in the offspring of the soul, masters
of the felicities which are attained by divine enlightenment and right action.

Vers 7
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For the soul’s energy and overcoming force are perfected in the human being who bears in
himself and is able to bear firmly this conscious Soul-power brought forward as the
leading agency in the nature, who arrives by it at a rapid and joyous movement of the inner
activities as did the pristine sages, compasses that harmonious bound and gallop of the steed of
Life within and adores always this godhead giving it the first fruits of all results and enjoyments.
By that energy he throws himself upon and masters all that comes to him in the births, the
worlds, the planes of consciousness that open upon his perception in the progress of
the being. He becomes the king, the samrāṭ, ruler of his world-environment.

Vers 8
For such a soul attains to a firmly settled existence in its own proper home, the Truth-
consciousness, the infinite totality, and for it at all times Ila, the highest Word, premier energy
of the Truth-consciousness, she who is the direct revealing vision in knowledge and becomes in
that knowledge the spontaneous self-attainment of the Truth of things in action, result and
experience,— Ila grows perpetually in body and richness. To him all creatures of themselves
incline, they submit to the Truth in him because it is one with the Truth in
themselves. For the conscious Soul-Power that is the universal creator and realiser,
leads in all his activities. It gives him the guidance of the Truth in his relations with
all creatures and therefore he acts upon them with an entire and spontaneous
mastery. This is the ideal state of man that the soul-force should lead him, Brihaspati, Brahma,
the spiritual light and counsellor, and he realising himself as Indra, the royal divinity of action,
should govern himself and all his environment in the right of their common Truth.

Vers 9
For this Brahma, this creative Soul seeks to manifest and increase himself in the royalty of the
human nature and he who attains to that royalty of light and power and creates in himself for
Brahma that highest human good, finds himself always cherished, fostered, increased by all the
divine cosmic powers who work for the supreme consummation. He wins all those possessions
of the soul which are necessary for the royalty of the spirit, those that belong to his own plane
of consciousness, and those that present themselves to him from other planes of
consciousness. Nothing can assail or affect his triumphant progress.

Vers 10
Indra and Brihaspati are thus the two divine powers whose fullness in us and conscious
possession of the Truth are the conditions of our perfection. Vamadeva calls on them to drink in
this great sacrifice the wine of immortal Ananda, rejoicing in the intoxication of its ecstasies,
pouring out abundantly the substance and riches of the spirit. Those outpourings of the
superconscient beatitude must enter into the soul-force and there take being perfectly. Thus a
felicity will be formed, a governed harmony, replete with all the energies and capacities of the
perfected nature which is master of itself and its world.

Vers 11
So let Brihaspati and Indra increase in us and that state of right mentality which together they
build will be manifested; for that is the first condition. Let them foster the growing thoughts and
bring into expression those energies of the mental being which by an enriched and multiple
thought become capable of the illumination and rapidity of the Truth-consciousness.
The powers that attack the Aryan fighter, would create in him poverties of mind and poverties
of the emotive nature, all infelicities. Soul force and mental force increasing together, destroy
all such poverty and insufficiency. Together they bring man to his crowning and his perfect
kinghood.
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